I saw one today at one sandy area between rock bottoms, close to the shore at the "Montones" beach in Isabela, Puerto Rico.
Peacock Flounder
Bothus lunatus
Also known as: Flower Flounder, Flowery Flounder, Platefish, Solefish
- Flower Flounder
- Flowery Flounder
- Platefish
- Solefish
Overview
Found singly on hard bottoms, or partially buried in the sandy substrate, over clear coral, rubble, sand, seagrass beds, and around mangroves, of coral reefs.
Flatfish, Soles and Flounders are placed in their families by location of their eyes. Their are both left eye and right eye dominant families.
Flatfish bury themselves in sand to hide from predators and use their eyes as periscopes as these can rotate 180 degrees.
During pelagic larval stage these fish are not flat but become so as they grow, their bodies flatten, and one eye migrates across the head next to the other eye.
How to identify
- Pattern
- black spotblue spots
- Behaviour
- buries in sandsolitary
Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.
Habitat & where to find it
- Range · Western Atlantic, Caribbean, Eastern Atlantic
- Exact location · 1
- Country only · 15
Found singly on hard bottoms, or partially buried in the sandy substrate, over clear coral, rubble, sand, seagrass beds, and around mangroves, of coral reefs.
Adult photos 16
Discussion 1
1 comment
- Xavier F. Gonzalez· 26 Jul 2011
Deep dive
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